Thurnin: An Interview Into The Solo Artist’s World Of Dark Neo Folk
Having released one of the most poignantly beautiful albums of 2025, it seemed only fitting that if given the opportunity, I should fire a few questions to Jurre Timme, aka Thurnin,to learn a little more about the auteur extraordinaire.
Having only a vague awareness of the artist, I wanted to probe a little deeper to uncover the entity behind the music, to see if I could uncover anything to further understand the inner working of the reclusive phenomenon. So here, for your inquisitive pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Thurnin, the Dutch Wunderkind…
Who is Thurnin? Beyond being an incredible musician…
Oh, that’s a difficult one, 34-year-old music lover. Trying to divide my time between nerdy stuff and the gym. Many of the tormented artist stereotypes apply to me sadly, haha.
Being a Dutch artist, how do you find your exposure beyond the Netherlands? Is it hard trying to break into an international market?
I think most of my exposure is outside the Netherlands, there’s not much of a market here for this genre. I was surprised to see how many listeners I had in all the different countries when the debut was released. It just kinda worked itself into people’s ears via YouTube mostly. Breaking into any market now with art or music seems Sisyphean almost, so I got lucky with how Menhir worked out. Can’t take any credit for that.
Harmr was an album I just had to write as a coping mechanism…
How expansive is the Thurnin catalogue, as obviously Harmr isn’t a debut…
Harmr is the third album, although it is definitely the odd one out. It’s my first attempt at a one-song concept album, and with the very short writing time this album has, I think it will always feel like the weird one in the Thurnin discography
How long on average does it take to create these sonic soundscapes? Do you think to yourself ‘now’s the time to work’, or does it happen more organically?
Harmr was an album I just had to write as a coping mechanism, normally, it’s a bit more structured, and I’ll be a bit more obsessive about every aspect. Harmr took 13 days to write whereas Utiseta took multiple years
At what age did you learn and start playing guitar? And then decide you were going to create these wondrous albums?
I started guitar at 14, dabbled a bit in writing around 16 and took up Thurnin as a main project in 2020. Before that I did some other albums in various genres, but none of them had a fracture of the impact Menhir did.
Who are your influences, and who do you admire musically?
Starting out on guitar, Alexi Laiho was a big inspiration when I did more of the metal stuff. Within the genre, I was influenced by Musk Ox and Vali, they created something new and unique to me, and it felt like a thing I wanted to try as well. Just pure musically, Kauan is a big influence. The consistent quality of his releases, as well as the pace in which he has produced such amazing albums, is deeply inspiring.
finger picking became a much better way for me to play music and I slowly moved away from electric guitar…
Your sound is fairly unique, what drove you into this very niche style of music?
A few things, I liked the sound of it, but I’m also a bit limited in my metal guitar playing due to some physical problems. So, finger picking became a much better way for me to play music and I slowly moved away from electric guitar but tried to capture the essence of metal songwriting still. I also found it difficult to express what I wanted within other genres.
In my review, I drew a musical comparison to Bear, The Storyteller, is this something you have witnessed before?
Not often, but we toured together, so I think people will put us in the same bracket because of that. He’s a great musician and friend, so it was nice to see the comparison. Especially since he plays a riff he wrote on the track Gefera.
Will you be going out and touring your current album? And if you are, where?
Sadly, no, my mental health and finances do not allow for much touring or live shows anymore. Currently, without a proper lineup and solo shows fill me with anxiety, so any live shows are on hold
How draining physically and mentally is it performing live?
Solo shows are just not for me, mentally they are too much. Physically, it’s fine. We did a west/south Europe tour last September, playing as a three-piece, and my mental fatigue definitely kicked in way before I got tired. I’m not one for the spotlight or much socialising, so you can imagine 12 shows in 13 days was a trial.
It has already reached more than I could have possibly imagined when I started…
Which is more important for you, commercial success, or being an underground hero?
I don’t think fame is for me, so I’d have to go with the latter. If Thurnin could be financially self-sustaining and just slowly grow into whatever place it’s meant to be at, that is all I could reasonably ask. It has already reached more than I could have possibly imagined when I started.
What are your plans for the future now that Harmr has been released?
I’m taking a break for however long I need. The fire has faded for a bit, and I’m awaiting its return and getting back to what I feel like I’m supposed to be doing.
Is there anything you would like to add, or thoughts you would like to share?
Thank you very much for listening and for the wonderful review and interview.
Having now delved deeper into Thurnin’s world, it is completely understandable that the processes are driven by the experience, and for me personally, it was heartwarming to read such a compelling set of responses.
As for the time being, I guess things are now in healing mode, and for the foreseeable the newest album Harmr will be the best way to get a fix of Thurnin musically.
I would like to say a huge thank you to Jurrefor engaging with me on this interview, and thank you too for an incredible body of work. Hopefully, for the time being, you have had an opportunity to step back, recover, and when the time is right, grace us with some more of your incredible talent, free of the burden and stress that modern life is.
To those who have read this, I implore you to take some time and fully discover Thurnin if you aren’t already aware of the work, it is always the perfect escape from a hectic world.
Label: Auerbach Tonträger
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Interviewed by: Lee Beamish
